Forbidden Love
by Electrical Nerd
Summary: Richard Spier and Sharon Porter love each other. Unfortunately, no one seems to agree with their love... [Might be updated soon.]
1. Encounter

-1Author's Note: I decided to go back and edit this story. I've gotten some great reviews, but I feel this fic isn't quite up to the standards the story deserves. If anything, my English has gotten better, so my fic should benefit from that. Also, I've fixed some mistakes and got my canon facts straight. Enjoy!

CHAPTER ONE

"Sharon, Sharon! Wait! Wait for me!"

I was walking down the hall of Stoneybrook High School and someone was running after me. I recognized the high-pitched voice instantly. It was my best friend Julia's. She sounded really excited, so I turned just to see her crash to the floor. Her books went flying but five or six guys quickly went for them and handed them back to Julia while another one was helping her get back on her feet. She dusted her skirt and rearranged her shirt. She sent her beautiful long, wavy brown her behind her shoulders, revealing her magnificent green eyes. Julia McGregor was the most gorgeous girl of the 12th grade, probably of the whole school.

"Are you alright, Julia?" asked Patrick Thomas, bending to grab a piece of paper that had escaped from one of her books.

He winked and handed her back the piece of paper. She shrugged, gave him her most glacial smile and turned her back on him. Patrick, needless to say, was not very popular and Julia had never talked to him. She wouldn't do it either, unless she was obligated.

Patrick left, after glancing at me with his huge brown puppy eyes. I knew some girls in school found Patrick adorable but Julia and I didn't feel that way. Patrick lived in a small house on Elm Street - and we had vowed never to date guys who lived on Elm Street. Both Julia and I lived on McLelland Road, in huge mansions, and our parents would never let us see poor guys. Ever. Just the fact that we were attending Stoneybrook High was giving them the goosebumps. But between that and Stoneybrook Day, and its weird philosophy on education (they had _sex ed_!), SHS remained the better of the two.

"What were you running for?" I asked, trying to hide my laughter.

After all, it wasn't every day that you would see Julia trip in the school hall. She had too much dignity to do that kind of thing. And she wouldn't enjoy my laughing at her either. She got mad easily - she practically threw a tantrum every time something went wrong.

"Guess what!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement. "Paul called me, yesterday. He wants us to go out this Friday!"

"Wow", I replied, trying to show my disappointment.

Paul Prezzioso was very popular, and very rich. His parents owned the biggest house in our neighborhood. In fact, his house was so big and so luxurious, it had a fountain that looked like a fish in the hall. I was impressed, but not very surprised that he liked Julia. After all, he was the captain of the football team, and she was the captain of the cheerleaders. They were bound to be together. To be honest, as much as I liked Julia, I thought they were also equally snob and self-centered. But I was thinking that only because I was little jealous.

It's not that I was hitting on Paul. Even though he was very attractive, with his curly blonde hair and deep blue eyes, he wasn't my type. No, what was making me jealous is that Julia had all the guys she wanted, while I was single. I always felt like I was living in Julia's shadow, holding the candle out for her. I knew I was pretty: I had deep blue eyes, long blonde hair and a perfect skin. Guys didn't seem to like me that way, that's all.

"Sharon, you've got to help me! I don't know what to wear. I want this evening to be perfect! Come on! There is no one in Stoneybrook who has half as much taste as you."

It was true. If Julia was the most beautiful girl in town, I was surely the best dressed. I had always liked to put outfits together to make them look great. I loved to decorate rooms, agendas, lockers and textbooks with drawings, pictures or dried flowers. It was part of me, I guess, just as my daydreaming nature and my laziness.

"O.K., I'll help you, Julia, no problem. Now, we'll have to hurry if we don't want to be late. Mr. Ripley is going to kill us if we get in late once more."

"If YOU get in late" was her response.

She was right. It was fall and I had made a habit of daydreaming for a long time in front of the window before going to class. I loved to see the flashing colors of the trees the melancholic shade of grey in the skies and the wind blowing the leaves on the ground. It was making me feel very romantic, and also very lonely.

When we got in class, I took a seat and glanced at the guys in my course. Patrick. Paul. Tom Black. Bernie Gray. None of them were making my heartbeat go faster. When would I, Sharon Porter, 17 years old, find true love?

The morning slowly passed by as I thought of my problem. I never had a boyfriend. Julia tried to set me up on dates all the time, but blind dates weren't my thing. I wanted to be in deep love. I wanted someone to hold me, to kiss me, to write me letters. There had to be someone out there for me! I knew it!

I took my time to go to the cafeteria. I enjoyed the peacefulness of the empty corridors. Strangely, being alone made me feel less lonely, as if seeing people were only reminding me of my solitude. I had good friends and loving parents, but it didn't seem enough.

When I got in the cafeteria, I saw there was some turmoil going on. A huge circle of people was hiding what was happening. I looked for Julia and my other friends and I spotted her, sitting at the table not too far from the group of people. She looked feverish and excited.

"What's going on?" I asked as I sat down.

"Paul wants to get into a fight with Richard Spier but the coward doesn't want to. Tom and Ted Kilbourne are there too."

Tom and Ted were Paul's best friends. I got up on my seat to see what was happening and I realized a few people imitated me, Julia included.

Paul, Ted and Tom were sitting at Richard Spier's table, looking quite threatening. Paul had grabbed Richard by the front of his brown vest and Richard's glasses were resting in his mashed potatoes. Tom was laughing and Ted was looking around, flushed and ashamed, as if he wanted to make sure nobody was going to denounce them. But nobody would. Nobody would dare to stand up against Paul Prezzioso and his gang.

From where I was, I saw Richard say something to Paul but I couldn't hear what it was. I was kind of feeling impressed by Richard. He wasn't crying, he didn't seem afraid nor had he broken into a fight. He seemed to control himself and didn't lose his temper. I was really impressed, so much that, without thinking much about it, I walked over to his table.

"Paul, what are you doing?" I asked, trying to sound threatening.

"Hi, Sharon! See our little friend, here? Why don't you tell him to go read in the library instead of showing his spotty face in the cafeteria?"

Richard had no zits but Paul hated Richard enough to imagine them on his face. Or maybe Paul was associating him to the nerd stereotype. After all, Richard _was_ a nerd. The best student at SHS, quiet and serious. He never showed up to parties.

"Why don't you let him eat alone, Paul? He hasn't done anything to you."

"He's living, that's enough, and he's polluting the school with his smell."

Tom laughed again. I crossed my arms on my chest.

"You know what he smells like, right?" Paul continued with a grin on his face. "He smells like poverty. And I think he _reeks_."

"Then", Richard spoke up for the first time, "how come you dare touching me? I could be infested with bugs; I could accidentally spit my poor germs on you! Why don't you just go away?"

"He's right, Paul. Let him go", I said.

"Yeah", Ted added. "He's not worth getting expelled."

"Alright, alright", Paul sighed.

But just before letting Richard go, he twisted his vest some more. We all heard a cracking noise. Part of Richard's vest was in Paul's hand. He had torn it without wanting to. I guess it was true that Richard was really poor, if his clothes were such of a bad quality.

Paul threw what was left of the vest in Richard's plate and left for Julia's table. After glancing once more at Richard, I followed them.

I glanced at him once more when I sat down. He wrapped up his things and left the cafeteria after putting his vest in the garbage. He looked very confident, very courageous, as if nothing happened and as if he were used to throw away his clothes during lunchtime. I was amazed by his courage and deep down inside of me, I was feeling guilty for not being able to help him more than that.


	2. Different Worlds

A/N : I'd like to say thanks to the girl who called me a dumbass because she just gave me an idea. Actually, Paul Prezzioso was meant to be Jenny's father and I didn't know his name was Nick (most of the BSC books I've read were in French, so I wouldn't know that). Nick Prezzioso will eventually appear. don't worry.

CHAPTER TWO: DIFFERENT WORLDS

School was over for the day. I could finally flee this building and walk the streets of Stoneybrook as I pleased. I had dreamed about that all day. I would go down on Burnt Hill Road and look at the very old farmhouses that were there. There was one that I'd particularly liked: it looked like it had been built at the end of the 18th century. My imagination just zoomed when I was around that house. It looked kind of creepy but I was just thinking of ways to put it back in shape.

I headed north of town, where those old houses were. I felt a little better than before: my little encounter with Richard Spier had made me feel a little less empty, as if helping him were the first step to get me out of a hole.

It was one of the last beautiful days of fall: the sky, which had been grey all morning, had cleared up and was a bright azure, with touches of white here and there; the breeze felt soft and warm, and the cracking sound of the leaves under my feet was making me smile. Nothing in the world could be as beautiful as fall in Stoneybrook. It looked even more beautiful when I left downtown and entered the residential area north of town. The old houses looked like pictures and even the smallest ones didn't look so bad (though I was glad I wasn't living in one of those).

I wasn't the only one enjoying the nice weather. As I continued heading to Burnt Hill Road, I saw kids playing outside and women walking dogs.. and Richard Spier.

He was sitting on the top stair of his porch (at least I assumed it was his), holding a book. He looked very concentrated. He had cleaned up his glasses, which were resting on his nose. Their black frame made him look strict and a little older. His white shirt looked stained - I wondered if it was Paul's fault. There was a hole in the left knee of his pants.

As concentrated as he looked, he raised his head as I was passing in front of his house. He smiled, put his glasses back in his shirt pocket and stood up.

Oh, no, I thought as I saw him walking over to me, don't tell me he's going to stick to me because I've been nice to him this morning! Needless to say, any guilty feeling had disappeared by now. I was just horrified by the thought of having Richard Spier follow me around school like a lost puppy.

"Hi!" he called.

"Hey!" I replied with a forced smile.

"Say, I wanted to thank you for you help back this morning. It was really nice of you, to stand up for me against those kids."

"No problem. I know how to deal with Paul."

We looked at each other and I had a quick smile, a real one. Richard smiled back, but he looked a little shy. I wasn't feeling very comfortable around him either. We were too different - people living in the same place, but coming from two opposite worlds.

I figured I had to say something to continue the conversation. After all, he had walked over to me to thank me. I couldn't just leave him there without making a little effort of acting like I cared.

"What are you reading?" I asked.

"It's a law book. It's very interesting."

"Sure."

I tried not to frown. Richard Spier had to be the most boring person in the whole world! He was reading a law book, on a Friday afternoon! It felt like he had no friends, no fun, no nothing. Was he even too poor to have a social life?

I felt bad for having these thoughts. I was being unfair; I had prejudices. Just because I had the chance to grow up in a rich family didn't mean I had to be so snob. I hated myself just then for being so mean. I smiled at Richard again, not wanting him to guess all the awful thoughts I just had. To my surprise, he started laughing. It was something that I had never heard.

"I know I must sound like the most boring person in the world", he said. "But I just enjoy this stuff. I'd like to be a lawyer, but I don't know if I can afford college."

"Why not?" I asked.

But then I thought about it: The hole in his pants, the torn vest, and the shabby looking house. Paul had been right. Richard was really poor.

"Never mind", I said quickly. "It's none of my business, anyway."

"It's okay. I don't mind. I'm used to it."

He shrugged and I felt admiration for him again. He just seemed so strong: not in a physical way, but in his way to refrain all the pain and sadness his situation was causing him. It wasn't like nothing seemed to hurt him; it was more like he knew exactly how to cope with things.

"Where were you going?"

"You know, there's this house on Burnt Hill Road that I just love! It looks very old and creepy, like a haunted house, you know, but there is so much character in this house! I'd love to redecorate it, to put it back in shape, but I wouldn't know how to do that."

"If you were an architect", Richard said, "you could do that. Or be an interior decorator."

I laughed a little.

"Forget it. My parents would never let me do that. They don't expect me to have a career. They want me to be a housewife."

"Well, I guess we are in the same situation, then."

We smiled at each other and sighed. That was right. Both of us had dreams for the future, but no hope to make them come true. Two different worlds, yes, but the same problems.

I was surprised by Richard. I had thought he was the typical nerd, only wanting to talk about geometry and grades, and thinking we, the common people, were only idiots. But he was fun to talk to: he was a human being, with dreams, hopes and problems.

When I left, after that little conversation, I found myself smiling. Richard Spier..


	3. The Dance

Julia twisted her hair into a tight bun, but let her bangs hang loose on her forehead. She had put on extra make-up for the occasion and looked even more beautiful than usual in her long, emerald dress.

"Wow, Julia, Paul is going to be stunned!" I said as I watched her put on coral lipstick.

She grimaced, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Then she turned to me and made a face.

"He'd better not be. I'm counting on him to win the dance contest. He's a fabulous dancer, didn't you know? Oh, and his father is letting him borrow the Porsche for tonight! Aren't you excited, Sharon? This is going to be the best dance ever!"

"Yeah," I replied unenthusiastically.

While Julia was getting excited over the dance, I was not looking forward to it at all. Julia had the chance to attend the dance with her boyfriend. I, for one, was going to the dance with a stranger.

Yes, Julia and Paul were now an item. After their date to the movies, they couldn't let go of one another. Julia had told me everything about how their make-out session at the drive-in. According to Julia, Paul's car was perfect for making out, because it was big and luxurious. It wasn't as good, however, as his father's Porsche, which was part of the reason why she was so excited about the dance.

I stepped in my dark blue dress that matched the color of my eyes. I had bought the dress for the dance long ago, before I even knew whom I was going with. Had I known, I would have spent all my allowance on a dress like that. I wasn't really willing to impress Paul's cousin.

I didn't get it. Nobody had asked me out to the dance. Ted Kilbourne and Tom Black, from whom I had been expecting an invitation, said they were bringing dates from Stamford because, and I quote, "Stoneybrook girls were prudes." At some point, I would even have gone with Patrick Thomas, but he asked out a girl named Elizabeth – I didn't know her too well. So, once again, I was going to be alone while everybody got together.

Julia had noticed my problem before I even had the chance to tell her about it. I was going to keep it a secret and pretend I was sick on Halloween night, so that I wouldn't have to face the humiliation of admitting that I didn't have a date. But Julia hadn't seen things my way.

"Guess what?" she had cried in the halls of SHS some day. "I told Paul about your problem and we found a solution!"

Hurrah, I had thought. Now everybody knows that poor little Sharon doesn't have a date.

"Paul's cousin is going to be in town for the weekend. His name is Nick and, according to Paul, he's handsome! It's all set up already. We're going to prepare for the dance together at your house and Paul and Nick are going to pick us up there. So it's a group date!"

I didn't have a choice, did I? No, of course not. For all the following week, I had been trying to persuade myself that the dance wouldn't go so bad.

It wouldn't have gone so bad... if I hadn't found out at the last minute that Nick Prezzioso was a sophomore. He was handsome, I suppose, and the girls at his school (I think Paul told me he was attending a private school somewhere in New York) were probably crazy about him. But he looked so young!

Trying to hide how miserable I was, I climbed in my car. Nick, of course, couldn't drive, and Paul's Porsche could only sit two people. Another thing Julia had forgotten to tell me. She waved happily at me from the passenger seat of the Porsche. I let Nick inside my own car, started up the engine and wished for a heart attack that did not come. What came was a verbal attack, on Nick's part. He told me about his being the captain of the football team and the big football scholarship that would practically be his in three years. Football, football, football. That was all he could talk about.

In the parking lot, Julia grabbed me by the elbow and whispered in my ear excitedly:

"So, how do you like him? He's pretty cute, isn't he? He's the captain of his football team and he's only 15!"

At that very moment, I vowed to kill Julia McGregor as soon as we got home.

"I know. He told me. About a thousand times."

As soon as we entered SHS gymnasium, Julia dragged Paul to the dance floor. I suppose she wanted to give us the chance to get to know each other... or maybe she was just very eager to be crowned queen of the night.

Nick and I just hung out around the food table. With any luck, nobody would notice that this child was my date. I just had to make sure not to talk to him too much.

"So, hmm... Sharon, how do you like the last Beatles record?"

Apparently, Nick was feeling very awkward for asking this question as an introduction to a "I'd-like-to-know-you-better" type of conversation. I guess he had said everything he had to say about football.

"I don't know. I don't really care for music."

I shrugged. Nick went back to drinking his punch. I stared at the couples dancing. They all looked happy. Ted and Tom were fooling around, trying to touch their dates' behinds. Patrick and that Elizabeth girl were dancing cheek on cheek, even though it wasn't a slow song. Paul and Julia were having a blast, twisting and dancing, and a few fans of them made a circle around them, watching.

"Want to dance?" Nick asked.

"Nah... My shoes are killing me. But you can go if you like."

"No, I think I'll stay here."

The guy didn't get the message. But it was OK. Nobody was looking at us. Nobody... except a small girl. I knew her name, because she was third in rank after Julia and me when it comes to clothing. She was a Freshman, but she was very popular... among every grade. Her name was Madeleine. Rumors said she was Stoneybrook's most spoiled child. I found it hard to believe, since I saw Julia every day.

"I think I'll go freshen up," I told Nick. "I'll be right back."

I took my time. I put on lipstick, checked my mascara, washed my hands. All in all, it took me at least fifteen minutes. When I came back, Nick was talking to Madeleine, their heads so close they were almost touching each other.

"Sharon, do you mind if I dance with Madeleine?"

"No, go ahead," I said, trying to hide my relief. I would just have to go sneak a call to my dad so he could come pick me up early.

"I'll make it up to you."

"It's okay," I shrugged.

The band began to play a slow song. I closed my eyes, dreaming. I wished there were some stranger in the room who was as bored as I was. He would find me so beautiful that he would come to me and ask me to dance. We'd go over to the dance floor, start dancing, my head resting on his shoulder... and then, when the band would play the last note, he would touch my chin, raise my head to his and give me the most wonderful kiss I would ever get...

"Sharon?"

I jumped and opened my eyes. I had recognized the voice. It was Richard's. So much for dreaming about the perfect guy...

"Would you like to dance?"

I don't know what had gotten into me.

"Yes," I said.


	4. Crush

CHAPTER FOUR: CRUSH

Among all the guys I had ever danced with, Richard was probably the most awkward. Even if he wasn't all that tall, his feet and hands seemed to grow several inches as he slipped his arm around my waist to pull me closer. I smiled shyly and he blushed, ducking his head to hide his red cheeks.

"I'm not a very good dancer," he pointed out.

"It doesn't matter."

I noticed Julia dancing in Paul's arms, but her eyes, rather than looking all dreamy, were scanning around the room. For me. She was probably thinking I was having a blast with that kid and wanted to share my joy.

"Do you mind if I lead?"

Richard nodded. I tried to manoeuver him into a dark corner, so as to hide from Julia's curious eyes. She was sleeping over at my house tonight. If she saw me in Richard Spier's arms, I would never get a good night's sleep. She'd talk about it until tomorrow and die out of laughter.

I was so worried about someone seeing us that I couldn't actually relax to enjoy the dance. Of course, with Richard's mechanical movements, it wasn't that enjoyable, but a part of me felt good being in his arms. Maybe it was his unusal warmth coming from him, or the fact that he wasn't threatening - not wanting anything from me, not overbearing me with his confidence, good looks or whatever it was that possessed guys like Paul and co. His hands were very light on my back, almost non-existant. He was dancing eyes shut, which was quite unusual.

"Back off, Spier," one voice said suddenly. "Sharon's our girl. She's off limits for a guy like you."

Ted and Tom were behind me, glaring at Richard. He quickly let go of me and gasped. It was a small gasp, and only I was close enough to hear it.

"Why do you hang out with that grub, Sharon? His clothes stink, you've probably ruined your dress," Tom said.

"Yeah, Sharon, dance with me instead," Ted added. "This guy couldn't dance to save his life..."

He gave Richard a shove, and he tripped and fell on the floor. I was about to lean to help him get back on his feet, but he swept us all with a cold stare. I stepped back, surprised. What had I done? Why did he include me in this stare? Tom grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me near the dance floor, away from Richard.

"Now, go away, Spier. And I don't ever want to see you here again." Ted laughed and joined us.

I watched Richard get up, walk over to the exit quickly and never glancing behind. I turned to Ted and Tom, who were laughing and patting each other on the back, obviously proud of themselves.

"You guys are jerk!" I shouted.

They stopped laughing as I tried to get out of Tom's grip. He let go of my elbow and I ran after Richard. I almost twisted my ankle on my way there, but I think I broke the record for the 200 yards with high heels. I spotted him as soon as I got out of school. There was nothing left of his fast pace and anger - he was walking slowly on the sidewalk, shoulders and head down.

"Richard!" I cied.

He turned, saw me, and continued walking. I grabbed the skirt of my dress, lifted it and raced after him. When I finally met him, I was out of breath.

"Listen... puff... I'm... puff... sorry for... this. I... puff... really liked..."

I tried to catch my breath before I could go on, but Richard stopped me.

"Look, Sharon, you can't apologize every time those guys do something to me. It's too dangerous for me to hang around you. So just leave me alone, now."

I regained my breath suddenly, mainly because I had to plead for his forgiveness. I didn't know why I wanted it so badly. I just... wanted him to forgive me. Part of me even wished we were still on the dance floor.

"Richard, that's not fair! You can't blame me for what happened back there!"

"Why don't you tell them to leave me alone? You're the Queen of Stoneybrook, everyone obeys you! If you tell them to stop, they will! But you're not doing anything. You're not any better than they are."

Seeing Richard mad was something scary, and made me lose all my words. He was so cold, so proud, so distant, so inaccessible. Just as a block of ice that wouldn't melt. I lost my composure and just burst out a stupid:

"I'm not the Queen of Stoneybrook."

Richard just shrugged and continued to walk. He left me alone in the dark, his silhouette rapidly transforming into a dark spot, and then nothing at all. I tried to persuade myself that I didn't care, that I hadn't done anything wrong... But, even if it was unintentional, I had: I had seen the pain in Richard's face while he turned away from me. He was hurt. And disappointed. Disappointed, maybe, that our dance had been interrupted? Frustrated that he couldn't stand up for himself in front of those bullies?

When I got back into the school, the dance was over. Julia and Nick, who had slipped an arm around Madeleine's shoulders, were waiting for Paul to go get the car. Madeleine's father was waiting for her in a Cadillac. While Julia and I got into my car, Nick kissed Madeleine.

"How could you lose Nick to this freshman?" Julia whispered.

"Shut up, Julia."

I was becoming very annoyed with my best friend - and with this whole crowd. All I wanted was to snuggle up in my bed, alone, to think and analyze this evening. I wanted to know where my faults were, and what I could do to gain Richard's respect back - and most of all, why I wanted it back.

I didn't sleep that night, in part because Julia kept me awake with her anecdotes about the dance. She also asked me questions:

"Why did you dance with Richard Spier?" The expression of disgust on her face was priceless and if I had felt like laughing, I would have rolled on the floor. "Why didn't you like Nick? What's wrong with you, Sharon? You'll never get a husband if you don't get a boyfriend first, you know."

When she fell asleep, I remained awake in my bed, eyes wide open. I was thinking. Richard... Behind all this anger was hurt pride. Something that was hard to repair once it was broken. But I had to try.

It was also hard to define why I so wanted to try to get his friendship back. I realized Richard was representing a whole new world: a world of passion, of personality. With my encounter with Richard, I had begun to scratch the paint of my superficial life to guess what lied under it. And Richard was the key to letting me see the whole picture.

Once I had solved all my problems - at least mentally - I still couldn't sleep. And I knew why... it was because I couldn't help but replay the movie of that dance: Richard's arms around me... His shyness, his akwardness... it had its charm.

I sat up straight in my bed. It occured to me...

I had a crush on Richard Spier!


	5. Forgiveness

CHAPTER FIVE: FORGIVENESS

My weekend was a living hell. All Sunday long, I felt anxious, agitated - definitely not my usual relaxed self. My parents were going nuts because I wouldn't stop moving around the house, from the kitchen to the living room, to the living room to the dining hall, and back to the kitchen. Mrs. Lovejoy, our maid, finally decided to solve the problem. She asked me to help her cut carrots while she was fixing our Sunday night dinner.

"What's the matter, honey?" she asked as she began to put butter on the chicken.

I had always liked our maid. Mrs. Lovejoy treated me as her second daughter, not as her boss. In fact, I had received quite a few lectures from her when I was younger. She was a member of our family.

"Nothing," I said.

Mrs. Lovejoy was such a huge part of our household that she shared my parents' view on whom I should date. She didn't want me to spend my life with a good for nothing. She had always encouraged me to go out with Ted Kilbourne or Tom Black. In fact, if she had eyed my relationships less closely than my father would have, I would have found it worrying.

"Come on, honey, don't lie to me," she said. "I know something's troubling you. You're not out daydreaming, and yet, it's beautiful outside today."

She was right. It was a beautiful, warm November day, one of these days I usually occupied with a walk in the woods or in the old Stoneybrook. But for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to it today. I would have gone to the old house on Burnt Hill Road, only... I knew that Richard's house wasn't far from it. And I didn't want to take the risk of crossing his path today.

At the thought of Richard being incredibly mad at me, I lowered my head and began to sob. It just came out like that, unexpectedly. Mrs. Lovejoy forgot about her chicken and put an arm around my shoulder.

"Oh, honey, don't cry. Everything's going to be alright. Everything will work out in the end."

"No, it won't."

"That young Prezzioso broke your heart, didn't he?"

"What?" I exclaimed. "No way."

I was so surprised I forgot to cry. Then I thought of Richard again and my mood dropped. I couldn't even confide in Mrs. Lovejoy - she would tell my parents everything. And then, not only would Richard be mad at me, but my parents would probably transfer me to another school.

It's going to be okay, Sharon, I told myself. You don't really like Richard... You just think you like him because you feel guilty. Tomorrow, you'll see him in school and everything's going to be fine. I was lying to myself.

When I saw Richard in the hall, on Monday, there was no doubt about it. It was a crush. The deepest crush I ever had. When I saw him, he was looking in his locker for a book. His pants were too large - they probably belonged to someone bigger. His shirt looked a little yellowish and his woolen sweater had a hole in the elbow. Yet, he had never looked so handsome.

"What are you looking at?" Julie nudged me.

"Huh... Nothing."

"Right." Julia rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Of course."

"I... Never mind, Julia, you wouldn't understand."

"You were looking at Richard Spier. I would be ashamed if I were you."

I couldn't believe my ears. Suddenly, a wave of anger overwhelmed me.

"Do you know, Julia, that you are the biggest snob in Stoneybrook? You aren't any better than any of these students here, you know! Just because your father owns half of the town doesn't mean you have to act like you rule us all!"

"Sharon..."

Before she could even continue, I stormed out of the hall and sat down at my desk in my math class. I was still fuming, but my anger cooled down slowly as I started thinking about Richard. I wanted him. More than anything. My fantasies weren't faceless anymore. But as appealing as a daydream about Richard was, I had more serious concerns. I had to get him back. Or get him.

Richard was proud. More than anything, he wasn't ashamed of who he was. I had been ashamed of Richard. That was the problem. And the solution? It now appeared quite simple.

I entered the cafeteria with butterflies in my stomach. Everyone was already seated and eating, because I had had to stop by the P.E. teacher's office to borrow something from her. I scanned the cafeteria to make sure Richard was there. He was: sitting at an empty table, he was eating an apple - the only thing he could afford to eat today. I spotted Tom, Paul and Ted sitting not very far from him; Julia was sitting on Paul's lap.

I made my way up to an empty chair and climbed on it. I was three tables away Richard, in front of him. When I stood on the chair, he looked up at me. That's when I blew in the whistle I had borrowed from the P.E. teacher.

"Attention, everyone," I said loudly when everybody interrupted their conversations to look where the sound was coming from. "My name is Sharon Porter. For those who don't know me, I am a senior. I have an announcement to make."

I paused. I took a deep breath to ease the butterflies in my stomach. I tried to look at Richard, but couldn' t bring myself to it.

"I..."

I was stupid not to be able to say it out loud. I had to. I had to show everyone in this school they had a chance. It wasn't just about me having a crush anymore.

"I... I have a crush on Richard Spier."

You could have heard a fly sneeze. Nobody said a word.

"Did you hear me?" I asked. "I have a crush on Richard Spier. I HAVE A CRUSH ON RICHARD SPIER!"

Still silence. But then Richard got up and walked up to my chair. He took my hand and climbed on an other chair.

"My name is Richard Spier," he said. "And I am in love with Sharon Porter."


End file.
